UFC 324 marks the promotion’s big debut on Paramount / CBS, and it features a barnburner of a main event between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title. But is it the most legit interim title fight we’ve ever seen? Hell no.
That’s because Gaethje is ranked No. 4 and Pimblett ranked No. 5 at lightweight. The No. 1 ranked Arman Tsarukyan is willing and able to fight for the belt, but is being ignored by UFC brass. No one is talking about it, but the BMF fight at UFC 326
between No. 2 ranked Charles Oliveira and No. 3 ranked Max Holloway is a more legitimate interim lightweight title fight than UFC 324’s offering.
So how did Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje get the call? Well, Paddy and Justin are two of the most popular and exciting fighters on the roster. That goes a long way when you’re kicking off a new broadcast deal. Plus, Gaethje made it clear following his win over Rafael Fiziev in March 2025 that he would retire if his next fight wasn’t for a belt.
The UFC probably didn’t need much convincing to put Gaethje in yet another shot for the title, but the retirement declaration kept him from getting booked into other fights that would have ruined the timing once Ilia Topuria revealed he’s out for who knows how long. And now Justin is admitting it was more of a ruse by his manager Ali Abdelaziz than something he would have gone through with.
“I was thrilled, honestly. It was everything I was asking for,” Gaethje told TNT Sports. “I wanted to fight for a championship. An interim championship is not the same, but on paper it is the same. I get paid as a champion, so ultimately this is my job, so that is what I was fighting for.”
As for the threats of walking away from the sport?
“I definitely got what I asked for, it was more my manager putting me in that position,” Gaethje admitted. “I probably said it, you know, but we’re emotional beings, you know, and we’re petty. You don’t get to where I’m at or where these fighters are at without being petty. I take things personal, and I thought I’d earned something, and so I was trying to stand up.”
Waiting nearly a year worked out for Gaethje, who will be making several times more money fighting Pimblett for the belt than he would have for any non-title fight. UFC 324 goes down January 24th on Paramount+. Keep it locked to MMAMania.com for all the updates.
